What is brief Intervention?

Our ‘brief intervention’ service refers to how we help your family to support your child/adolescent and the rest of your family members in 6 sessions or less. Help can be given to assist your child's mental and emotional health and/or assistance can be provided to help improve your family's overall situation.  This could include (but is not limited to) help with parenting issues, sibling sessions if the relationship is problematic or conflict resolution skills.

Where mental health issues are limited to mild anxiety or depression, we are able to work with your child and family and provide treatment for these conditions.

Can brief intervention be used for longstanding or moderate to severe mental health issues?
The treatment of some mental health issues is not conducive to a ‘brief intervention’. Some mental health issues require more intensive and/or a longer treatment duration.  Some of these issues include eating disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Autism Spectrum Disorders and psychotic illnesses.  

Additionally, where multiple and/or chronic mental health issues are present, in general longer treatment duration is needed.

Where medium to long term treatment is required for your child, ‘brief intervention’ sessions will be used to help commence your family on the right path, and may include such help as:

• Educating your family about the condition and management strategies.
• Providing information on how best practice long-term treatment works in the context of your child's mental health condition.
• Putting initial steps in place regarding how to help your family member until your child can commence longer term sessions with a psychologist for treatment of the mental health condition.
• Helping your family work out what might exacerbate the condition in the home or school environments, and what supports or strategies can contribute to alleviating the condition.

Alternatively, you are welcome to use the assessment only part of the intervention offered by our service, and a document outlining the type of intervention needed and other helpful information can be listed, which can be handed to your therapist when you obtain one.  

This enables your child and your family to fast-track treatment, as once you have obtained a therapist, further assessment is unlikely to be needed, and your psychologist can immediately start the required treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions